Signature - Q4, 2007 - (Page 21)

The system will be able to download numbers from the contact lists of available Bluetooth enabled phones. For audiophiles, Sync can stream digital music via a Bluetooth wireless link from music players, smartphones and PDAs. “Sync has the ability for the current palette of devices to be connected to your car with apparently little difﬁculty,” Ippoliti says. The technology’s voice-recognition system will allow for commands to control music and phone calls, as well as handle text messages. “So if you get an SMS (short message service) message on the phone, Sync will verbally read it to you,” Ippoliti says. Ippoliti feels Sync demos have been impressive enough that they could drive other OEMs to create similar wireless products. “This might be a case where an infotainment connectivity system can be a selling point for a car,” he notes. Other experts agree that infotainment is going to be a critical feature in future cars. Dr. K. Prasad Venkatesh, group and technical leader with Ford’s Infotronics Research and Advanced Engineering department, said recently, “The automotive user experience, especially as it relates to information services and entertainment, is in a state of rapid metamorphosis. Today’s user experience is being deﬁned by personalized digital content and information – anywhere, anytime.” Down the Road “Ford’s Sync is intended to be a selling point, using voice recognition as a technology edge and breaking the mold of premium-only availablity.” — Mike Ippoliti, ABI Research Setting the Pace for Telematics Few areas for wireless applications are seeing the pace of innovation and customer demand grow as quickly as the telematics market. A handful of key protocols are helping to drive this evolution, and now the efforts of the biggest proponents of these advancements have been recognized by a key industry group. Technology research ﬁrm Telematics Update presented its Telematics Leadership Award to Mike Foley, executive director of the Bluetooth SIG, at this spring’s Telematics Update conference. The award is given for achievements and innovation in the telematics market. Foley was one of six ﬁnalists for the award. Others nominated for top leadership as an individual were Michael Bryars of Freescale Semiconductor, Martin Thall of Microsoft, Andrew Poliak of QNX Software Systems, Alain De Taeye of Tele Atlas and Joost van den Bosch of Volvo Car Corp. Foley and the Bluetooth SIG were recognized for their work in aggressively improving and developing Bluetooth technology for the telematics industry. Among the accomplishments are the enhanced hands-free proﬁle (HFP 1.5) and updates to the Phone Book Access Proﬁle (PBAP). These proﬁle improvements make it easier for manufacturers to add Bluetooth technology to cars and promote seamless integration among wireless systems and devices. Foley also pushed for the creation of the Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) Working Group, tasked with developing a simpliﬁed speciﬁcation for transmitting GPS and global navigation data in vehicles. In addition to his work with Bluetooth technology proﬁles and the GNSS Working Group, Foley spearheaded innovations for automotive entertainment and communications. These include wireless systems for streaming music from MP3 players through a vehicle’s stereo and sending movies and other content from a mobile device to a DVD player or other in-car entertainment system. — A.J. Beyond 2008, car buyers can expect Bluetooth enabled applications to grow in sophistication, especially in the area of telematics. One new technology on the drawing board aims to implant Bluetooth wireless sensors throughout a vehicle to monitor essential components like tires. For example, pressure sensors could send tire inﬂation data to drivers to report the condition of each wheel. “Obviously, it’s very hard to transmit this information with a physical wire from a rotating tire,” Ippoliti observes. But that’s not a challenge for what he calls “a robust communications channel” like Bluetooth technology. Bluetooth technology may soon make a difference in how you drive as well. Rutgers University has already developed a prototype system that relies on Bluetooth technology to sync GPS data with information about road conditions, so that drivers can become more aware of their position relative to other vehicles and perhaps change course to avoid trafﬁc jams and construction delays. (Read more about this and other research at Rutgers on page 14.) And further out? Stuart Carlaw, director of wireless research for ABI Research, imagines “blue sky” innovations like multimedia video and audio that are distributed wirelessly to ﬂat-panel displays and speakers throughout the car, allowing each passenger to choose his or her own infotainment selection even while the driver makes a phone call through the hands-free system. “Blue sky” indeed. It appears as though there’s no other forecast for what’s fast becoming the most connected wireless technology. Alan Joch specializes in wireless, Web and enterprise technologies and has written for Inc., Computerworld and The New York Times. Bluetooth Special Interest Group | 21

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Signature - Q4, 2007

Signature - Q4, 2007 Contents The Road Ahead Getting Noticed In the News Keeping the Edge Why Wibree? The Message Zone Do You Compute? Command Center Mountain Magic On the Fast Track Give or Get? Groundsurf’s Up! Get in the Game Get on the List Number, Please! User-Friendly The Tell-Tale Car

Signature - Q4, 2007

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